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automake-1.16: Scripts

 
 9.1 Executable Scripts
 ======================
 
 It is possible to define and install programs that are scripts.  Such
 programs are listed using the ‘SCRIPTS’ primary name.  When the script
 is distributed in its final, installable form, the ‘Makefile’ usually
 looks as follows:
 
      # Install my_script in $(bindir) and distribute it.
      dist_bin_SCRIPTS = my_script
 
    Scripts are not distributed by default; as we have just seen, those
 that should be distributed can be specified using a ‘dist_’ prefix as
 with other primaries.
 
    Scripts can be installed in ‘bindir’, ‘sbindir’, ‘libexecdir’,
 ‘pkglibexecdir’, or ‘pkgdatadir’.
 
    Scripts that need not be installed can be listed in ‘noinst_SCRIPTS’,
 and among them, those which are needed only by ‘make check’ should go in
 ‘check_SCRIPTS’.
 
    When a script needs to be built, the ‘Makefile.am’ should include the
 appropriate rules.  For instance the ‘automake’ program itself is a Perl
 script that is generated from ‘automake.in’.  Here is how this is
 handled:
 
      bin_SCRIPTS = automake
      CLEANFILES = $(bin_SCRIPTS)
      EXTRA_DIST = automake.in
 
      do_subst = sed -e 's,[@]datadir[@],$(datadir),g' \
                  -e 's,[@]PERL[@],$(PERL),g' \
                  -e 's,[@]PACKAGE[@],$(PACKAGE),g' \
                  -e 's,[@]VERSION[@],$(VERSION),g' \
                  ...
 
      automake: automake.in Makefile
              $(do_subst) < $(srcdir)/automake.in > automake
              chmod +x automake
 
    Such scripts for which a build rule has been supplied need to be
 deleted explicitly using ‘CLEANFILES’ (⇒Clean), and their sources
 have to be distributed, usually with ‘EXTRA_DIST’ (⇒Basics of
 Distribution).
 
    Another common way to build scripts is to process them from
 ‘configure’ with ‘AC_CONFIG_FILES’.  In this situation Automake knows
 which files should be cleaned and distributed, and what the rebuild
 rules should look like.
 
    For instance if ‘configure.ac’ contains
 
      AC_CONFIG_FILES([src/my_script], [chmod +x src/my_script])
 
 to build ‘src/my_script’ from ‘src/my_script.in’, then a
 ‘src/Makefile.am’ to install this script in ‘$(bindir)’ can be as simple
 as
 
      bin_SCRIPTS = my_script
      CLEANFILES = $(bin_SCRIPTS)
 
 There is no need for ‘EXTRA_DIST’ or any build rule: Automake infers
 them from ‘AC_CONFIG_FILES’ (⇒Requirements).  ‘CLEANFILES’ is
 still useful, because by default Automake will clean targets of
 ‘AC_CONFIG_FILES’ in ‘distclean’, not ‘clean’.
 
    Although this looks simpler, building scripts this way has one
 drawback: directory variables such as ‘$(datadir)’ are not fully
 expanded and may refer to other directory variables.
 

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